In a typical business transaction, a customer (whether an individual consumer or a business entity) initiates the transaction by placing a purchase request with a seller/agent via a communication means such as telephone, mail, facsimile, private networks (e.g., electronic data interchange (EDI)), Internet (e.g., email), or other communication networks, as appropriate. A seller/agent often does not manufacture the products it sells but obtains them from various suppliers. For example, a bookstore, which accepts purchase requests from customers for books, generally obtains the books from one or more publishers.
Such business transactions (e.g., transactions involving at least a customer, a seller/agent, and a supplier) are typically handled in a mostly manual fashion within the seller/agent's organization. Manual processes are time consuming, prone to error, and generally not capable of real time status inquiries. For example, external entities in a transaction, such as customers and suppliers, do not have ways to directly communicate with each other (either at all or at least not in real time). Typically, external entities have to communication via the seller/agent. In addition, when a customer or a supplier makes a change after the original order has been placed, the change again needs to be processed manually via the seller/agent, thus, causing more delays and possibilities for error in the transaction.
There exist several commercially available so-called enterprise resource planning (ERP) software programs capable of linking computer systems or resources in various departments within a company. These software programs are made by Baan, SAP, PeopleSoft, J. D. Edwards, Oracle, and other companies. When properly installed and configured, such software may provide automation within a company by supporting proper organization and updating of a central internal database accessible by all departments within the company. The central internal database is typically not directly accessible by any external entities, such as customers and suppliers.
In an ad hoc solution to the foregoing, some companies have created a duplicate external database to permit limited access by external entities. However, this approach typically requires custom interfaces between the internal and external databases, which in turn require additional investment to develop and maintain.
Further, the duplicate external database typically has to be periodically synchronized with an internal central database. For example, information regarding inventory levels or prices for each product by each supplier in the external database has to be kept up-to-date. Even the best data synchronization schedule, however, typically does not allow real time synchronization. For example, an external entity may receive an erroneous confirmation for an order placed prior to the next scheduled synchronization. During the next synchronization, the system may then realize that the true inventory level of the ordered product is below the quantity requested by the external entity. Thus, even with an external interface, the external entities remain unable to communicate with the seller/agent or with each other in real time.
Thus, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for improved procurement services that are capable of operating in a highly automated manner and/or allowing communication of procurement information to and among external entities.